Marquette University - Hilltop Yearbook (Milwaukee, WI)

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Marquette’s $3.5 million men’s tenement anchored on 13th Street is named after a Milwaukee hotel and insurance magnate, who sat on the university’s board of governors. Walter Schroeder passed from this world on July 18, 1967 at the spry age of 89. He left a modest estate of $20,682,154 in trust, to be conferred upon charitable, religious, and educational institutions, including Marquette. Looking upon his assets would make even the most powerful fat-cat turn three shades of green. He had securities valued at $18,193,573, including $8,975,361 in Chris Schroeder and Sons Inc. and $6,200,549 in Hotels Inc.. The terms of the will specify that the trustees cannot distribute the estate until seven years after Schroeder’s departure. This means Marquette's take of 6% won’t be received until 1974. The funds will be used to establish the Walter Schroeder Scholarship Fund. The class of ’78 will surely vie tooth and nail for this scholarship, if tuition continues to increase. Schroeder was president of a successful insurance agency, the Chris Schroeder and Son Company, and also president of Hotels Inc. He was the builder and former owner of the 25-story Schroeder Hotel, now known as the Sheraton-Schroeder. Schroeder was born in Milwaukee in 1878, as the son of immigrant German parents who had come to Wisconsin in the 1850’s. Despite his wealth, he remained celebate. The moral of the story is: if you live right and eat your vegetables, you too might leave an estate of $20 million. 6

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Men Behind the Buildings Victor McCormick may not have the wealth of the Rockefellers, but he is certainly one of Wisconsin's chubby-pussycats. He hails from Packer country, where he makes law his profession. He is also a successful entrepreneur and civic leader. He bestowed $2,500,000 upon the university, one of the largest single gifts it ever received. Because of this modest package, the men’s residence hall on 16th St. and Wisconsin was duly named Victor McCormick Hall. It seems that there could be a cheaper way of getting your surname ascribed to a building. McCormick arrived on campus almost 55 years ago. He received his law degree from Marquette in 1922. He is a former member of the university’s Board of Governors and its Athletic Board, and was bestowed the title of Alumnus of the Year in 1952. I he double-million-dollar gift was not the first McCormick gave to Marquette. During the post-war years he gave a piece of land on N. 39th St. between W. Clybourn St. and W. Blue Mound Rd. for use as a practice football field. Those were the days when the football team was called the Hilltoppers or the Golden Avalanche. The site was name McCormick Field in his honor. After McCormick graduated from law school, he returned to Green Bay to become a partner in the firm of Minahan and McCormick. After 17 years in the firm, he retired to devote his working hours to personal affairs. Despite all his business dealings, he has given of himself unselfishly to his community. In 1966 he received the B'nai B'rith Brotherhood award for his enthusiastic civic leadership. Money can’t buy you everything, but it can help you get the title of “Founder of Marquette University.” The Very Rev. Pedro Arrupe, S. J., (Father General of the Society of Jesus) wrote in a letter to McCormick: For many years you have given generously of yourself in order to demonstrate in a tangible manner your appreciation for the Catholic education which you received at Marquette and your determination to do all in your power to make these same benefits available to successive generations of young people. Thus it was only proper that a number of years ago, as a token of its esteem and gratitude, your alma mater designated you its ‘Alumnus of the Year’, and that it now wishes to confer upon you the highest honor at its disposal, that of “Founder of the University'.” We say thanks to the honorable Mr. Victor McCormick for giving us a square deal on a round building, even though it's slowly sinking into Middle Earth.

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Did you know that Tower is the only dormitory in the nation which has Murphy beds? Or that Mrs. Palmer’s swinging placement office in Tower's basement was once a swinging bar? Or that the Catholic Knights Insurance Company sold it to MU in '52 because it needed a bigger place? Or that one could draw the conclusion that, if history is true to its reputation, future MU-ers will be enjoying the swimming pool of the present Knights Tower building? 7